Plans to stage the LaLiga teams FC Barcelona and Villarreal CF’s league match in Miami (US) have been canceled, LaLiga has confirmed.
‘sky sports’ stated that the controversial fixture was set to be played at the 65,326-capacity Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida (US) on December 20th which would have made it the first European league match in history to be staged overseas. But amid heated criticism, including scathing comments from the LaLiga team Real Madrid CF goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois on October 21st, LaLiga has shelved its plans.
Madrid (Spain)-based the Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or LaLiga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest level of the Spanish football league system. It is contested by 20 teams over a 38-matchday period.
‘sky sports’ further stated that a statement read, “Following discussions with the promoter of the official LaLiga match in Miami the latter has announced its decision to cancel the event due to the uncertainty surrounding Spain in recent weeks. LaLiga deeply regrets that this project, which represented a historic and unparalleled opportunity for the internationalization of Spanish football, cannot go ahead.”
Relevent Sports, the US-based organizers, said in a statement, “Relevent has informed LaLiga of the need to postpone the planned match between the Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona in Miami on December 20th. Given the current uncertainty in Spain there is insufficient time to properly execute an event of this scale. It would also be irresponsible to begin selling tickets without a confirmed match in place.”
New York (US)-based Relevent Sports is the world’s leading privately-owned commercial rights partner with a dedicated focus on international football. They build bespoke partnerships for the top football properties that deliver unrivaled value to the key stakeholders including the clubs, the media companies and the brand partners.
Barcelona released a statement saying the club “respects the decision to cancel the match” against Villarreal in Miami.
The club said, “FC Barcelona respects and abides by the decision to cancel the match that would have pitted us against Villarreal in Miami corresponding to Matchday 17 of LaLiga just as it respected and abided by the decision to play it at the time. FC Barcelona regrets the missed opportunity to expand the image of the competition in a strategic market with growth potential and resource generation for the benefit of all. The club thanks the unconditional support and affection it has received from our fans in the United States and deeply regrets that they are deprived of witnessing the official match in the country.”
Recently, the LaLiga players launched protests against the league’s decision with teams standing still for the first 15 seconds of the matches.
Fumed Courtois, “LaLiga does whatever it wants because it suits them. This decision distorts the competition. Playing at home is not the same as playing away. In LaLiga, playing away is very difficult as we saw against Real Sociedad and Getafe CF. Villarreal away is tough. It’s not fair to change the rules mid-season without consulting us. The National Basketball Association (NBA) has 82 games and the National Football League’s (NFL’s) owners collectively approve these decisions [to play matches abroad]. Here, LaLiga acts unilaterally. It’s not the same.”
On October 6th, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) President Aleksander Čeferin had approved moving of the LaLiga fixture and also sanctioned a Serie A match between the Italian top-flights AC Milan vs. Como 1907 to be played in Australia but described the decisions as “regrettable” and that it “shall not be seen as setting a precedent”.
New York (US)-based the National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams. The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered the premier professional basketball league in the world.
New York (US)-based the National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference.
Nyon (Switzerland)-based the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach football in Europe and the transcontinental countries of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan, as well as the West Asian countries of Cyprus, Armenia and Israel. The UEFA consists of 55 national association members. Since 2022, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the FIFA and the UEFA has suspended all Russian national teams and clubs from any FIFA and UEFA competitions.
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